CONVENTION OF ASSOCIATION OF OFFICIAL AGRICULTURAL 



CHEMISTS, 1904. 



The twenty -first annual convention of this association was held at 

 St. Louis, September 26-28, 1904. The meetings were held in rooml 

 of the Hall of Congresses at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition. 

 Eighty -eight members and visitors were in attendance. In the absence 

 of the president, M. E. Jaffa, and the vice-president, C. L. Penny, 

 W. A. Withers presided on request of the association. 



The regular business of the convention was completed during the 

 first two days, but on the morning of the third day a joint session was 

 held with the Association of American Fertilizer Manufacturers, in 

 the Agricultural Building. 



The following officers were elected for the coming 3'ear: Presidt />/, 

 C. L. Penny, Newark, Del.; Yic< -pr< xi<h>nt, C. G. Hopkins, Urbana, 

 111.; Secretary, H. W. Wiley, Washington, D. C. ; Additional mem- 

 bers of executive committee, C. A. Browne, jr., New Orleans, La., and 

 R. W. Thatcher, Pullman, Wash. The list of referees and associates 

 has not been completed, but will be announced in a later issue. Wash- 

 ington was decided upon as the place of the next meeting. 



The reports and papers presented at the convention, and the more 

 important action of the association, are briefly summarized below 

 under appropriate headings. A somewhat fuller statement of the 

 recommendations acted upon at this convention has been issued as 

 Circular No. 20 of the Bureau of Chemistry. 



POTASH. 



The report on this subject, presented by F. B. Carpenter, referee, 

 detailed the results of a study of the sodium-hydrate method proposed 

 last year, and a contin nation of the study of methods for the determi- 

 nation of moisture in potash salts. All of the results by the official 

 Lindo- Gladding method were considerably under the theoretical, while 

 those by the modified method, using sodium hydrate instead of ammo- 

 nium h} T drate for neutralizing, with a few exceptions came much 

 nearer to the calculated percentages. It was thought that some of 

 the variations observed in the use of the modified method were due 

 to the presence of potash in the sodium hydrate. The results on the 



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